Reporter for The Canyon Weekly
Former Mill City man pleads guilty to fatal DUII wreck
A former Mill City man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter for a fatal DUII collision last year near Corvallis and faces at least 75 months in prison during sentencing in October.
Jimmie Eugene Beck Jr., 20, of Newport, pleaded guilty Sept. 23 in Linn County Circuit Court to second-degree manslaughter and DUII for the Sept. 21, 2023, death of Jennifer Davina Gere, 43, of Lebanon.
Beck is scheduled for sentencing Oct. 18 before Judge Thomas McHill and faces at least six years and three months in prison under Measure 11 sentencing guidelines. This is a lesser sentence than the original charge of first-degree manslaughter.
On the date in question, Beck was traveling westbound on Highway 34 just outside Corvallis when his vehicle drifted into the oncoming lane and struck Gere’s vehicle head-on. Gere was declared deceased at the scene while Beck was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.
After Beck recovered, he was arraigned on a secret indictment April 17.
Beck also faces two additional DUII charges in Benton and Clackamas counties for separate incidents of alleged intoxicated driving in 2022 and 2023. He is also charged in Linn County in a separate case with first-degree sexual abuse for allegedly groping a woman in September of 2023 while the alleged victim was physically helpless.
Drug Court after plea to motorcycle thefts
A Mill City man was sentenced to three years of probation through Marion County Drug Court after pleading guilty to his role in a Salem-based motorcycle theft ring.
On Sept. 19, Zayn Free Bristow, 25, pleaded guilty in Marion County Circuit Court to felon in possession of body armor and two counts of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
He was sentenced to three years of probation, and in addition to standard conditions must enter and successfully complete Drug Court. This includes zero tolerance for probation violations including substance abuse and the commission of new offenses.
If probation is revoked, Bristow would be sentenced to 3.5 years in prison.
He was arrested July 11 by the Salem Police Department during an investigation of a series of motorcycle thefts.
Also arrested was Bristow’s wife, Natalie Genene Hefley, 32, of Mill City, who was referred for a charge of vehicle theft to the Marion County District Attorney’s Office. As of press time changes had not been filed against Hefley.
Zakiry David Dean Davis, 18, and Brian Lee English, age 28, both of Salem were also arrested. Davis was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and English was charged with unlawful use of a weapon, menacing, felon in possession of a firearm and felon in possession of a restricted weapon. As of press time both their cases were pending.
